Summary

Concerning international comparison for the year 2011, Austria is situated under the top nations with

6,383 diagnostic coronary angiographies (CA),

2,407 percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), and

47 transarterial aortic valve implantations (TAVI)

per 1 million inhabitants in Europe. Although the number of TAVI increases rapidly since its first introduction in 2007 (47 TAVI per 1 million inhabitants in 2011, not including surgical cases from the transapical route), the data for CA and PCI remained constant during the past years.

The rates of stent (91 %) and drug-eluting stent implantations (78 % of stents) also remained constant on a high level. Little fluctuation is also reflected in the complication data (including mortality evaluation). An increased morality is well known, especially in patients with the so-called ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and consecutive shock (19–35 % in the past years).

The application of certain special devices increased (clot catcher) or decreased (glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor antagonist) in 2011 or were finally unused (Laser).

Interestingly, not only in Austria, it was observed several times that scientific knowledge, recommended as Class I Indications in the guidelines, takes several years to establish itself nationwide.

Our independent, purely academic activity is located in the area of health services research, and has also the option to generate benchmarks for individual centers. Participation in our surveys is voluntary. Since 1992, every year, without interruption (no missing center!), 90–100 parameters are applicable. The questionnaire will be optimized and adapted to current conditions. This is done in cooperation with the participating centers. To provide comparability, we make only minimal and absolutely most necessary modifications.

The data are collected and summarized at the end of the year by each center itself. During the year, the centers are visited to perform audits and to keep personal contact to them.

The data for 2011 were presented in Linz (November 23, 2012) at the autumn meeting of the working group “Interventional Cardiology of the Austrian Society of Cardiology” (ÖKG), as a basis for discussion. The presentation can be viewed by using private access code to the ÖKG video presentation page (http://oekg.medroom.at/); the publication will also be placed under the website http://iik.i-med.ac.at.